Frank Turner concert

Brodno Sculpture Park

As the rapid development of cities places strain on affordability, many cultural spaces are threatened by displacement. How are global cities responding to artists and arts organisations on the brink?

In a ground-breaking survey of responsive actions from cities across the globe to protect and develop, the World Cities Culture Forum presents Making Space for Culture, the latest handbook in the forum’s Policy and Practice Series. The resulting report is a collection of proposals, illustrating how cities can respond to the threat this issue poses to the cultural vitality and character of cities from San Francisco to Shenzhen.

Twelve in-depth case studies from World Cities Culture Forum member cities including San Francisco, Hong Kong, and Madrid, chart a variety of approaches to creating facilities, activating spaces, and raising awareness for cultural infrastructure. It covers a range of tactics from these global cities at the local level: from transforming an industrial heritage site to a street art centre in Seoul, to creating a rescue plan to save grassroots venues in London.